In 1988 Saddam Hussein orchestrated one of the worst massacres of the 20th century. During the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), the Baghdad regime accused the Kurds of treason and collaboration with the Iranian army. On March 16th the town of Halabja, in Iraqi Kurdistan, was bombarded with chemical weapons in retaliation. In just a few hours, 5,000 people were killed. The wounds of this massacre have still not healed. Report by Sophie Marchesin and Marine Courtade, translated and voiced for France 24 by Josh Vardey.

Every time Loukman Abdul Kader comes here, he relives a nightmare … 25 years ago, on 16th May, he watched helplessly as his family was asphyxiated by deadly gas while trapped in the cellar. He has never wanted to sell the house.. so it remains as it was left… A haunted shell- and a dangerous one.

SOT Loukman: A few years ago, we had some chickens. One morning I realised they weren’t in the courtyard and when I went to look for them- I saw that they had died in the cellar. I put some more chickens in there and they also died. We don’t go down there anymore.

He doesn’t touch the succulent fruit on the pomegranate tree that flowers in the garden every year.

SOT Loukman: We don’t dare to eat the fruit. We still have doubts- so we stopped picking it. We’re afraid that the effects of the chemical gas still lie in the soil- that they can be transferred to the fruit and then contaminate us.

The story of Loukman Abdul Kader is not an isolated one – it’s shared by thousands of the Kurds who live in Halabja and its surroundings. It’s the story of a region destroyed by chemical weapons – and which, 25 years later, is still paying the price.

On the 16th March 1988, after the Kurds had sworn allegiance to Iran, former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ordered a massacre. His cousin, known as Chemical Ali, directed the attack. In just a few hours, 5,000 people lay dead and 10,000 wounded. The West remained silent – at the time, Washington saw Hussein as an ally against Iran.